Second Chances
by dbellGetsACat
Summary: Alternate spin on "The Time Warp" co-written by dbell99 and MaybeIShouldGetACat. In the aftermath of her Malawi plane crash, Arizona goes back to Seattle for rehabilitation. How can Calzona survive if one of them just lost a leg and the other just found out she's pregnant with Mark Sloan's baby?
1. Chapter 1

The first thing that Arizona noticed immediately after regaining consciousness was the distinct scent of charred human flesh. She squinted in the bright sunlight, trying to make out her surroundings, her head throbbing and pounding with every beat of her racing heart. As her eyes adjusted she could make out the body of the small plane, although by looking at it, it was difficult to tell that it had once been an aircraft.

The smell continued to drift past her nose and she fought the urge to throw up. She adjusted her gaze, still scoping the area, praying that at least one of the two pilots were still alive. Looking to the left she could see more of the wreckage; a seat, twisted metal, burnt plastic and other unidentifiable objects. She called out, with the hope that a reply would be heard, but she was met only with a deafening silence.

Knowing the only way to find them was for her to move, she shifted her position only to be met with an excruciating pain in her left leg. Everything went from grey then to black as she lapsed back into unconsciousness.

It was hours later and several degrees cooler when she awoke again. Before making the same mistake twice, she looked down at her leg, recoiling in horror when she realized what the source of her pain was. Her left femur, now broken and protruding through her thigh, also had blood seeping through her cargo pants. She shakily ripped open the already torn cloth, assessing the damage. She looked desperately around her for something to use to both stop the bleeding as well as to splint her leg. Seeing nothing, she slowly and carefully inched her way backwards towards the destroyed fuselage of the plane, in hopes of finding something useful in or nearby it.

As she continued her ever so slow movement, her leg protested, the incessant pain becoming near unbearable as she moved. As she brought up a hand to her forehead she also became aware of a gaping head wound, which explained the agonizing throbbing there as well.

By this point, she feared the worst for the two pilots. Her constant calls to them were met with silence each time and she had begun to give up any hope for help from them. The sun was beginning to fade fast, and she knew that it wouldn't be long before night was upon her.

Finally, after what felt like endless hours, she reached the warm metal of the plane. She craned her neck and looked inside, finding a jumbled mess of seats, instrument panel pieces, glass and other unidentifiable objects. She pulled at an arm rest and scoured the wreckage for another, reaching desperately for it and pulling it towards her, along with part of the still attached seat. Her leg felt like someone was stabbing it with a red hot poker, her head swimming as she struggled to maintain consciousness. She fought with the seat, prying the armrest from the seat it was attached to. She tore some pieces of a flimsy blanket into strips and used them to secure both pieces of the arm rests on either side of her left leg. As she tied the first strip as tightly as she could she blacked out, waking moments later before tying the second and third.

Left leg splinted, Arizona sat, eyes closed, trying to work through the intense pain the best she could. An unopened bottle of water laid within her reach and she struggled to open it. She took only a few small sips, knowing it may very well be days before anyone would find her.

The desert began to cool quickly as the sun set, and her primary thought now was to seek some shelter from not only just the elements but also the creatures that came out when the sun went down. Knowing that the pilots were most likely dead meant that predators would be lured to the area by the scent of blood or burnt flesh; and in the blonde's current state she was in no position to fend off an attack.

The wreckage proved to have almost no shelter that she could use, and she began to panic as the sun dropped lower in the sky. Finally, she found a small storage compartment in the twisted wreck, and with great difficulty, managed to get half of her body inside, away from the elements. It wasn't long afterwards that despite her best efforts to remain awake, she felt the effects of her head injury and soon succumbed to sleep.

The painfully bright sun woke her the next morning, it's reflection on a piece of shiny metal was directed almost exactly to her line of sight. An unidentifiable sound also assaulted her; a hissing and grunting noise that she had never before heard and could not place. Knowing it was an animal of some sort didn't put her mind at ease, in fact, it frightened her and she silently begin to ease out of the compartment, trying unsuccessfully not to jostle her legs while doing so. She managed not to pass out as she dragged herself to a spot where she could see what was making the noise; and immediately regretted her decision.

The pilot, or what remained of the pilot, had been dragged by something out into the open, and at the present time, four vultures were making short work of his corpse. The hissing and grunting came from the birds Arizona realized, as they continued their feeding frenzy. She turned and looked away, the bile rising in her throat. She had only met the pilot the previous day, as she boarded the small plane as it set out for home.

Home. Arizona felt her eyes fill with tears as her thoughts drifted to why she got on that plane to begin with. The reason she hastily packed her few belongings and left the clinic she had only just begun to work at. Her dream. Malawi had been her dream all those years ago, and then, just when her life seemed perfect, just when her and Callie had decided that they both would compromise if it meant being together, her past returned and the dream she had once wanted was offered as reality.

All at once, everything began to swirl around in her head. The clinic, the grant, kids, Callie, that fateful day at the airport. She thought she was doing the right thing. She knew that Callie didn't have the same dream; Africa wasn't Callie's future. It had been Arizona's dream and Callie was only along for the ride. A ride that the blonde had taken upon herself to not let Callie on, and she regretted it the moment she saw the hurt in her girlfriend's eyes. But it had been too late to turn back, at least in Arizona's mind. She wanted to pursue her dream and Callie needed to stay and pursue her own.

It was only after she had been in Malawi for two weeks that she realize what a grave mistake she had made. She was miserably unhappy. Every waking moment was spent thinking of Callie, and how she could get home to her. It took weeks of correspondence with the Carter Madison committee but they finally released her from her work and she was free to leave. The next day she stepped on the plane, and said goodbye to Malawi, with the hope that she would return home and she could beg Callie for forgiveness.

Arizona's thoughts snapped back to the present as a new sensation assaulted her leg. An itching, wriggling feeling and she looked in utter horror as she saw a bug crawled *out* of the gaping wound in her femur. The makeshift bandage and tourniquet had loosened and moved through the night and during her brief shifting earlier that day, exposing the open wound. She swatted at the bug in repulsion, her hand lightly grazing the surface of the gash, and the excruciating pain that followed caused her once again to black out.

She came to hours later, as the hot African sun beat down relentlessly, burning her fair skin. She sipped some now warm water and used a small amount to attempt to clean her leg before she re-bandaged it with the cleanest pieces of fabric she could find. Her ability to move was now restricted, as even the slightest motion made her sway and near pass out. She pulled her t-shirt off and draped it over her head, giving her some much needed protection from the sun, while she tried to figure out how to keep the vultures from making her their next target.

By the third day in the African desert, Arizona was sure death was imminent. The small bit of water she had found was long since gone, and the signs of dehydration were already present. She had woken several times to the vultures pecking at her leg; her screams scaring them off at first but soon did little except make them hesitate before coming back to her for another peck or two. The bugs had also taken up residency in her mangled leg; the sensation of them crawling made her nauseated at the minimum; more often than not ending in dry heaves.

As the dawn of the fourth day approached, all she could see was a bright, blinding white light, and Arizona was certain that she was at death's door. The sickening pounding in her head had only gotten worse since the moment she woke four days ago, and her leg felt as though it was on fire. She now coughed up blood, a sure sign that she would not make it home alive. As she felt herself sink deep into unconsciousness, her final thoughts were of Callie, and how she hoped that she could forgive Arizona and move on with her life once she was gone.


	2. Chapter 2

Callie looked up at the clock, sighed and stripped her gloves off. "Time of death, 11:21pm." She flung her gloves into the bin and tore off her gown, stepping into the scrub room and starting the water. It wasn't often that her patients died; orthopedic surgery wasn't a high risk most of the time. In this instance the patient had an undiagnosed heart condition that compromised the surgery and unfortunately was the cause of his death. She diligently scrubbed out then went and spoke to the family before going to her office and slamming the door.

The last five weeks had been so full of anger and tears that Callie found herself emotionally drained. The tears had come first; Callie found herself standing in the middle of the airport, abandoned and alone. It was hours before she had called Mark and asked him to come get her, which he immediately did, and brought her to his apartment where she proceeded to tell him what happened.

The sadness turned quickly into anger, and soon Callie was back at work, after begging for her job back. Richard Webber didn't hesitate to rehire her; he'd always had a soft spot for her and had been disappointed when she had announced that she was leaving along with Arizona. Callie was thankful for the distraction of work; although her moments on the peds floor did little to help her forget Arizona.

Two weeks after Arizona's abrupt departure and break up, Cristina dragged Callie out with a plan to make her forget about Arizona, even if it was just for the night. Meredith joined them and soon the tequila was flowing freely and Callie was thinking little of anything except how quickly she could down the next shot. Mark and Derek were the next to arrive and by closing time Callie had long since forgotten about the last two weeks. Her and Mark stumbled back to his apartment, and Callie awoke the next morning curled up next to him in bed.

Callie shook her head and got up off her office couch, packed up her laptop and headed home. The apartment still in shambles from Arizona's departure. She had convinced the would-be subletters to cancel their agreement, leaving Callie with her apartment once again. She hadn't unpacked much of anything; and she had no desire to either. Everything she looked at reminded her of the blonde, and she found herself missing her more than she thought she should.

"Torres!" Mark's deep voice jarred her from her thoughts and she turned to find him standing in her doorway.

"Don't you ever knock?" Callie demanded.

Mark looked offended, "what's wrong with you? Are you still miserable about Blondie?" The brunette's glare was all the answer he needed. "Cal, come on. It's been over a month now. Isn't it time to move on?"

"Move on? You want me to just give my head a shake and laugh it off and what? Start dating again?"

Mark rolled his eyes, "no Cal, but this depression, this funk you're in is starting to get kind of old, don't you think?'

"Don't you have some place to be?"

Mark shook his head, "you know, you didn't always try to get rid of me like this. If fact, you were pretty keen on me being here not all that long ago."

"I was having a moment, Mark."

"Yeah, a drunk one," Mark snorted. "You can't deny your feelings for me...you proved that you still have a thing for me," he chuckled as he threw himself onto her couch and turned on the television.

Callie snatched the remote from his hand. "Mark, really...now isn't a good time, okay? I've had an absolutely terrible day and all I really want to do is have a glass of wine and go to bed."

Mark stood up in a huff and made his way to the door. "Fine. Don't go calling me later when you can't sleep."

The corners of Callie's mouth turned down and she looked as though she was about to cry. "Good night Mark," she sniffed as she all put pushed him out the door.

Mark stopped the door from closing and his expression softened when he saw tears in his best friend's eyes. "Aw, Cal, don't...I'm sorry." He pushed his way back in and closed the door behind him. "I didn't mean to make you upset."

Callie shook her head, "it's not you Mark, it's me." She walked over to the coffee table and plucked a tissue from the box then dropped onto the couch. "I'm a mess."

He sat down next to her and put his arm around her shoulders, then pulled her in towards him. "You aren't a mess. You've just had a really shitty few weeks."

She rested her head on his shoulder and nodded, "why does this always happen to me Mark? I think I find someone and then...it just falls apart."

"I don't think it's you Cal."

Callie sighed and pulled away from Mark, standing up once again. "I think I'm just going to go to bed. Will you stay? I don't think I can be alone right now."

Mark nodded, knowing that she was most likely right. "Go get ready and I'll be there in a minute. I'm just going to lock up and grab a drink."

Callie nodded. She changed into a pair of pajama pants and a t-shirt of Arizona's that had always been huge on the blonde, but fit Callie perfectly. She crawled into bed, unintentionally choosing the side Arizona had always slept on and curled up into a ball. Moments later she felt Mark climb in behind her and press his body close to hers. She sighed, feeling the tears once again spring to her eyes, and it wasn't long before she was sobbing into her pillow.

"I miss her Mark."

Mark nodded and put his hand on hers, "I know you do Cal, I'm sorry."

Callie took a deep, shuddering breath and sniffled, "I just...I thought she was it for me Mark. I was sure I'd found what I wanted. I'm still sure. But...three years...it just seems like a lifetime away, and..." Callie trailed off and new tears began to leak from the corners of her eyes, "...and she just fucking left me Mark! In the middle of an airport. She just left."

Mark didn't know what to say. It wasn't difficult to tell that he had his doubts about the blonde. He was the one who ended up picking up the pieces when her and Callie had their moments. But this was more than a moment. It had been five weeks since the blonde left her girlfriend in an airport and left without looking back. He was the one who had received the call from a hysterical Callie and had driven to the airport to get her. And even earlier into the women's relationship, Mark had been the one who Callie came to for advice or just to vent. He didn't mind; Callie was his best friend and he'd do anything for her.

"I know Cal. I wish there was something that I could say that would make you feel even remotely better. I don't know why she did it. Personally I think she's an idiot Cal, sorry."

Callie shrugged and curled up into a tighter ball, her face streaked with tears. "I just wish she was here Mark. I'm sort of at the point where I just wish I'd wake up and this was all a bad dream."


	3. Chapter 3

As Arizona tried to open her eyes, the light made it feel as though a thousand tiny daggers were being driven into her skull. Instead she squeezed them shut, only to discover even that caused pain. Moving her head slowly to the side she tried once again to open her eyes, and when she did, she realized that she wasn't dead.

The last thing she recalled was the blistering African sun beating down on her broken body, the vultures already starting on what was sure to be their next meal, and the thought of Callie, alone and sad, in her head. Now, the sun no longer was beating down on her and a rather pleasant feeling of cool sheets was felt instead. The familiar sounds of a hospital made her realize that she hadn't died in the desert, but she was disoriented and wasn't sure of exactly where she was now. She cracked open her eyes and saw only white walls and a window. She knew she was in a hospital but had no idea where.

Arizona tried to push herself up in the bed, only to be met with excruciating pain that radiated from mid-thigh right down to her toes. She felt her stomach lurch as she tried her hardest to breathe; even finding that difficult now and she closed her eyes again.

"Arizona?" she heard a voice call to her the next time she woke. "Can you open your eyes for me?"

Arizona tried to shake her head no, but even that was more effort than she had energy for. She tried to speak but her cracked lips and parched throat made it impossible, and it wasn't long before she succumbed to sleep once again. She woke later, still unsure of where she was, but without the excruciating pain she had woken up with earlier. She cracked open her eyes and raised her head, looking down at her lower half, and breathed a sigh of relief when it was confirmed that her leg was still attached to her body.

"It's still there," Arizona heard a voice say. "You withheld consent to amputate while you were still conscious."

The blonde swallowed and licked her lips as a straw was brought to her mouth and she greedily sipped the cool water. "Thank you," she managed. "Wh-where am I?"

"Just outside of Munich," the gentle voice replied, her accent thick. "You will be transferred back to the United States as soon as you're stable enough. Your driver's license was brought in with you. You live in Seattle, Washington?"

Arizona only nodded, the effort required to speak was far greater than she had the energy for. She felt a cool cloth being placed on her forehead, and it wasn't long before she nodded back off.

"Torres!" Callie heard Owen Hunt holler to her as she came into the ER that she had been paged to just moments earlier.

Callie made her way to Hunt, "what's up?"

"We have a thirty-two year old female with a broken femur coming in, open fracture, been exposed for four days, amputation was recommended in Germany but the patient withheld consent."

Callie balked, "exposed for four days? It's going to be a disaster Owen. What are we supposed to do?"

Hunt agreed, "I know. We'll override the consent if need be...from the sounds of things the patient isn't in good shape. I need you to be ready, the helicopter's five minutes out."

The orthopedic surgeon nodded and grabbed a gown, slipping it over her scrubs. She followed Owen to the elevator and within minutes they were on the roof awaiting the arrival of the helicopter. Owen pointed to the sky as they saw the chopper make it's decent to the landing pad. As it touched down the pair ran towards it, pushing the gurney, and stopping as the door opened. The transfer was quick, and it wasn't until they were in the elevator once again that Callie let out a gasp.

Owen looked up when he heard his colleague. "What is it Torres?"

Callie could barely form a coherent thought; seeing Arizona on the gurney had shocked her more than she could even express. Arizona was supposed to be in Malawi, not laying there, the next patient on Callie's surgery schedule. "It's..." she swallowed a lump that was forming in her throat, "it's Dr. Robbins, look."

Owen looked at Callie curiously for a split second, until he too looked down at the gurney. "I thought she was in Africa," he stated as the elevator doors opened.

Callie helped Owen push the gurney quickly into the already busy emergency room and found an empty spot. Her head was swimming as her and Owen expeditiously began to examine Arizona. Her skin was sunburned, blistering and peeling in spots. There was a head wound that had been hastily stapled shut, dried blood matted the blonde's hair. Her left leg was a complete mess and Callie knew just by looking at it that there was going to be very little she could do.

As they worked, much to their shock, the blonde began to stir. Her eyes fluttered open and she looked at Owen pleadingly. She opened her mouth but no sound came out, and she closed her eyes again as she slipped into unconsciousness once again.

"I was paged?" Miranda Bailey rushed over to them , stopping short when she reached Arizona. "Robbins?" she sputtered in shock, "what the hell happened to her?" she demanded as she looked down at the mangled left leg.

Owen shook his head, "plane crash," was all he said as he continued to work on Arizona.

Callie's head snapped up, "plane crash?" she questioned. Of course, Callie thought to herself, that made sense. But what was the blonde doing on a plane?

Owen nodded then turned to Bailey, "we need to continue giving her antibiotics in hopes that it may bide us some time." He turned to Callie, "how are we doing there?"

Callie shook her head, "It's worse than we even thought. I'll do my best, but we're going to need to get her into the OR soon."

Owen nodded. "Let's also get some scans done and blood work. Move fast and let's see if we can save that leg."

Unfortunately moving fast wasn't quick enough, and even before anyone had time to run any sort of tests the blonde crashed and was rushed into surgery. Now hours later, Callie sat next to Arizona as she waited for her to wake up. The thought of her coming to on her own was unacceptable; Arizona's life was going to change in a huge way, and Callie felt it was only fair for her to be the one to tell her.

As Arizona began to stir, Callie took hold of her hand and squeeze it a little, letting her know that someone was there with her. The blonde sleepily opened her eyes and seemed surprised to see Callie sitting beside her. She licked her dry, cracked lips and tried to push herself up, stopping only because she didn't have the energy to do so. Callie slowly raised the head of the bed up a bit and held a cup of water with a straw to Arizona's lips. The blonde leaned forward and took a few sips before collapsing back against the pillows once again.

"How are you feeling?" Callie asked.

Arizona looked at the orthopedic surgeon and shrugged, "I'm okay," she said softly, her voice gravelly. She looked down towards her legs, "it's gone, isn't it?"

Callie could only nod, afraid that if she tried to talk she would be met with only tears. To her surprise Arizona nodded as well and gave Callie a sad sort of smile. She pulled her hand from the brunette's grasp and lowered the head of her bed before closing her eyes. Callie understood and got up out of her chair. "I'll, um, I'll see you soon. I'll be back tomorrow to check on you." When there was no reply from Arizona, Callie hastily left the room.


	4. Chapter 4

It was early the next morning when Callie started her rounds, stopping in to see Arizona first. The blonde was awake, staring at the television, the sound muted. She looked up when she heard Callie come in.

"Hey," Callie greeted, walking over to the bed. She looked over the blonde's chart. "How did you sleep?"

Arizona only shrugged. " When can I leave?"

"In a few days, once we're sure the infection is under control." As Callie sat down on the chair, a thought popped into her head. "Is there anyone you want me to call?" she asked, then immediately regretted it. Both of Arizona's parents had been killed in a car wreck not all that long ago and Callie tried to redirect her thoughts, "Teddy perhaps? We kept it pretty quiet that you'd been admitted. She doesn't know."

The blonde shook her head, "I'm fine, it's okay."

Callie only nodded, unsure of what else she could really say. She quickly checked Arizona's leg, noticing the blonde looked away as she did. "The incision looks really good. I suspect you'll be able to leave here in another day or two."

"That's good, thank you," Arizona mumbled as she laid back against her pillows. She turned her head away from Callie and closed her eyes. Callie took it as a sign to leave and got up.

"You can have me paged if you need anything." Callie said, and when there was no response from the bed she sighed and left the room.

Callie refrained from visiting Arizona for the rest of the day, and when she went in the following morning, the blonde was propped up in bed, the classified section of the newspaper in her hand. She looked better than she had the previous day, and as Callie approached the bed , Arizona glanced up at her.

"Hi Callie," she stated, a tinge of sadness in her voice.

Callie smiled, "Hey. You're looking a lot better this morning. Did you sleep okay?"

Arizona nodded, despite the fact that she had slept horribly. Every time she closed her eyes she couldn't push the images of the desert out of her head. More times than she could keep track of did she wake up in a cold sweat, her leg burning, and it would take her ages to settle back down again and fall asleep. "Just looking for somewhere to live. I'll be leaving here soon, right?"

Callie sat down and nodded, feeling a pang of sadness. "A day or two at most."

"I'll just check into a hotel when I'm discharged." She folded up the newspaper and laid it on the bed, where her left leg would have been. "Thank you for doing the surgery," she said softly.

Callie swallowed hard, a lump forming in her throat. "You're welcome. I wish I could have done more."

Arizona shook her head, "you did what you could Callie." She stared down at the blanket, her hands folded in her lap.

Callie said nothing for a moment. "Why did you come back?" she asked finally after a lengthy silence.

Arizona sighed softly, "I missed you. I realized I'd made a mistake. I was miserable and I needed to come home...I needed to come back and make things right."

Callie felt her stomach tighten and she bit her lip. "I don't know what to say Arizona. I was so angry with you when you left. Hurt and angry."

Arizona nodded, "I understand, and I don't blame you for being upset. I'll be out of here in a day or two and you won't have to see me anymore."

Callie ran her fingers through her hair. "That isn't what I want."

The blonde looked confused, "what do you want then?"

Callie shook her head, "I don't know Arizona. Time? You're the last person I expected to see Arizona. I've spent the six weeks trying desperately to forget what happened and move on. And now you're here and my head is saying one thing but by heart is saying another. " Callie stood up, "I just need some time, okay?"

Arizona nodded sadly, "okay," she managed and only after Callie left did she let the tears fall. She knew she shouldn't have been surprised by Callie's statement. Of course Callie would need time. But all that kept Arizona alive in the desert for those four days was the idea of her and Callie reconciling.

Callie drove home that afternoon, her head a jumbled mess. What she had told Arizona had been the truth; she had spent the last month trying to move past what happened, and now with her back it brought old feelings back up to the surface, ones she had worked hard at burying. Her stomach felt queasy as she drove, surely due to the feelings that were swirling around, but as she lost her lunch in the toilet just a few minutes after walking in the door she choked it up to the flu. A while later she crawled into bed and fell asleep, her thoughts drifting towards the blonde.

After spending the next day at home, Callie returned to work the following day. She went to check in on Arizona only to discover she had been discharged the previous day. Looking through her chart she saw that Owen had taken care of it, and she quickly tracked him down.

"You discharged Arizona?" she asked as they walked towards the cafeteria together.

Owen nodded, "Well, Whit did technically. He said everything came back fine and there was no real reason to keep Robbins any longer. Plus she had asked to leave."

"Did she say where she was going?"

"A hotel was all she said. I was hoping you'd know more."

Callie shook her head, "I don't know any more than you do."

Owen could see the concern in the other doctor's face and tried to reassure her, "I'm sure she's alright."

Callie agreed, "of course she is. I should get caught up from yesterday. Thank you Owen." She went to her office and began going through the stack of ever-growing paperwork, trying to keep her mind off of Arizona.

It had been four days since Callie had seen or heard from Arizona. She'd spent that time doing some serious thinking about the blonde, and what they should do, if anything. She realized that despite how angry she had been, and still was to some respect, that she still cared a lot for Arizona. She had been miserable without her around for the past month, and now, after only a few days of not seeing her again, she was irritable and unhappy. To add to her unsettled feelings, she was a week late, and she was never late.

"What's your problem?" Mark stated as Callie let herself into his apartment and threw herself onto the couch.

"I'm late, Mark," she stated simply.

Mark looked confused, "late? Late for what?"

Callie looked at him, her eyes boring into his. "I'm. Late." She stated again, enunciating each word clearly.

Mark's bewilderment quickly turned to realization, "Oh shit. Are you..."

Callie threw her head back against the cushions, "I don't know yet. I haven't taken a test."

Mark grinned, "then what are you waiting for? I'll go get one!" When Callie's response didn't mirror his excitement he sat down next to her. "What's wrong?"

"What's wrong? Are you kidding me, Mark?" Callie then realized that he didn't know about Arizona, and she didn't want to tell him, not yet. "Sorry...I've just been, preoccupied lately...This isn't a good time for a baby Mark."

Mark frowned, "Wait...so if you are...what are you saying?"

Callie closed her eyes, "I'm not saying anything Mark. I'm just stating how I feel."

"Well, let's find out then. At least we'll know for sure. I'll go get a test. I'll be right back," Mark stated and he dashed out of the apartment.

Callie laid back on the couch and closed her eyes. Why did everything have to be so confusing?


	5. Chapter 5

Callie sat at her desk, trying to concentrate on her work but failing miserably. Not only had it now been five days since she'd see or spoken to the blonde, but she was now also dealing with the realization that she was pregnant; with Mark's baby. How she was going to tell Arizona in one breath that she still had feelings for her, and then turn around and tell her about the baby, was beyond her.

A knock at her door jarred her from her thoughts and she saw the hospital's prosthetist, David, in the doorway. She invited him in and he sat down across from her.

"I hope I'm not interrupting," David began, "But I saw a few of your post op patients in PT today and wanted to give you a quick update on them."

Callie nodded. "Of course, who's first?"

David opened his file folder and flipped through his notes. "Smith, Robbins or Bartlett?"

Callie's head snapped up. "Robbins?"

David pulled out a file and placed it on top of the other. "Arizona Robbins, thirty-two year old female, eight days post op with a left above the knee amputation..."

"I know who she is," Callie interrupted. "I'm sorry, go on."

"We fitted her with a prosthetic today and got her up and balanced. She even got a few steps in before taking a header into the PT table. We, uh, ended the session early and sent her home with seven staples in her head."

"Seven staples? Was she okay?"

David nodded, "We had her checked out in the ER...mild concussion. We're holding off on PT for a few days. She's going to call and book something when she felt well enough to continue."

Callie rubbed her temples. "do you happen to have an address or phone number for her by any chance?"

David flipped through her chart and found the intake sheet. "She has a hotel and room number as an address but no phone number, sorry." He jotted the address down on a Post-It and handed it Callie.

"Thank you," Callie said. "Perhaps we could pick up where we left off tomorrow? I just remembered I have something that needs to be taken care of immediately."

"Of course, no worries," David said as he closed his file folder and stood up. "I'll touch base with you tomorrow."

Callie watched him leave and then left the hospital. She drove straight to the hotel that Arizona was staying in and went up to her room. She stood outside the door for a few moments and then knocked. The door opened and Callie was greeted by Arizona, in her wheelchair, sporting a black eye.

"David told me what happened, and gave me the address. Are you okay?"

The blonde nodded. "I just tripped. I'm okay."

Callie didn't look convinced but said nothing more about it. "May I come in?"

Arizona backed her wheelchair up and nodded, then led Callie into the small living room. The furniture and size of the room made it difficult for the blonde to maneuver around but she managed and turned to face Callie who was sitting on the couch.

"Is everything okay?" she asked the brunette.

Callie nodded. "Yes...no."

"What's wrong?"

Callie took a deep breath. "I spend the last four days trying to sort out my feelings about you...and I did. Yesterday I realized that I still had feelings for you...strong feelings.." she trailed off.

"But..." the blonde added, knowing Callie well enough to realize there must be a caveat.

Callie paused, feeling her eyes start to tear up. "But..." she stopped and sniffled. "God, how do I even say this?"

"You just say it Callie."

Callie waited a moment then blurted out, "I'm pregnant."

Arizona didn't think it was possible for her to feel any more devastated than she already did, but as she heard Callie say the words she felt like her heart shattered into a million tiny pieces. Knowing that Callie had moved on within weeks of her leaving gave her a sick feeling in her stomach. She forced a pained smile, compelling herself to look the brunette in the eyes.

"Congratulations Callie. I know you wanted a baby."

Callie shook her head. "Not like this I didn't."

Arizona sighed dejectedly. "what are you going to do?"

"I had planned to come over and ask you to move back in with me, to come stay at the apartment. That's what I'd planned yesterday. And then I found out...and I still want you to come stay, to come home, but...now everything is a mess. I want this baby though, but I also want you." Callie sniffled and wiped away the tears that had formed in her eyes.

Arizona plucked a tissue from the box next to the couch and handed it to Callie. "I can't ask you to pick me over a baby Callie. I-I'll be okay," she said quietly. "Do I know who the father is?"

Callie nodded. "I was angry Arizona. I spent two weeks crying and being upset and then I got angry. I went out with Cristina and Meredith. Derek and Mark showed up. I drank, a lot...I just wanted to stop being angry and sad. I wanted to forget. I, uh, went home with Mark...and..." she stopped, the look on Arizona's face said it all.

Closing her eyes, Arizona tried to smile but ended up just nodding instead. "He'll be a great father Callie. You and him were always close. You're his best friend. He'll be a great father," she repeated again.

"I'm sorry Arizona. It just...it just happened. You made it clear at the airport that we were done. I tried calling you. You ignored my calls, you didn't respond to my texts. I was hurt. Unbelievably hurt."

"I know Callie. I'm sorry. I made a mistake and I regretted it every minute of every day that I was there. But Mark is good for you. The two of you deserve this. You deserve to be happy Callie."

Callie shook her head. "But that's just the thing...that's what makes this so hard. I don't want Mark."

"Then what do you want?"

"You know what I want. I want you Arizona."

Arizona sighed. "You can't be pregnant and taking care of a cripple. You have to take care of yourself Callie."

"I can Arizona. Please. All I've thought about is you since the second you left. You're back, you're home, you came back because of me." She wiped her eyes again. "But...if you don't want this...if you don't want what I want, then I understand. You never signed up for this." She stood up when Arizona remained silent. "I'll just go."

"And you didn't sign up for this," Arizona said quietly, pointing to her leg.

"If that made a difference, then I wouldn't be here right now. I knew what I wanted even after knowing what I was getting into."

There was a lengthy pause, and then the blonde turned to Callie. "You want me to come home with you?"

Callie nodded, looking down. "I do."

"Okay."

She looked up and smiled at Arizona. "Let's go home then."

Arizona began to wheel herself to the door without grabbing anything from the room. Callie stopped her. "What about all your stuff?"

Arizona shook her head and pointed to a small shopping bag next to the door. "That's all I have. I lost everything in the crash. Bailey picked me up a few things before I left the hospital."

Callie nodded and opened the door, picking up the bag as she did. "Okay then, let's go."

The drive from the hotel back to the apartment was spent in awkward silence, Arizona staring out the window while Callie concentrated on driving. Arizona painstakingly got out of the car, refusing any help from Callie with the exception of asking her to get the wheelchair from the trunk. They went upstairs and into the apartment. Arizona looked around, her hands folded in her lap.

"We can move some of the furniture so you can get around a bit easier," Callie said, breaking the silence.

Arizona shook her head. "It's okay." She looked at the couch. "Could I borrow a comforter or blanket for the couch?"

"You're not going to sleep on the couch. We're both adults. We can share the bed."

"Can I take a nap? I'm tired."

Callie nodded. "Of course you can. Please, just do what you need to do. This is your place too, okay? I'll be right here."

"Thank you Callie."

Once Arizona was in the bedroom Callie laid back on the couch, running through everything that had happened, feeling emotionally spent. She hadn't been there but ten minutes before the door opened and Mark came in, and threw himself next to her on the couch, shoving her feet out of the way.

"So, rumour has it, Robbins is back...and minus a leg. Is that true Cal? Or are people just messing with us?"

"Shh, keep your voice down."

Mark stared at her. "Why?"

"Because, Arizona's sleeping that's why."

"So wait, Blondie is back?"

Callie nodded. "She's back."

"And the other part of the rumour?"

Callie felt the tears well up in her eyes. "True too."

Mark stood up and walked over to the bedroom, cracked the door open and looked in. He returned to the couch. "She looks like shit."

Her jaw clenched and she bit her tongue before Callie took a deep breath and counted to three. "She's recovering."

"Recovering from what? What the hell happened Callie?"

Callie sat up and pulled her legs up to her chest and hugged her knees. "She was coming home, to me. But her plane crashed in Africa. She spent four days in the desert with an open femur fracture before she was found. She was transferred to Germany and then to Seattle, where I had no choice but to amputate her leg."

Mark stared at her. "You had to do the surgery?"

Callie nodded. "Owen and myself."

He stood up again and walked back to the bedroom, looking in once again at Arizona. He returned to the couch. "She's in pain, Cal."

Callie stood up and rifled through the back that Arizona brought with her, pulling out a bottle of prescription pain medication. She took two from the bottle and went to the kitchen and retrieved a cup of water. "Just stay here, okay Mark? Please?" When he nodded she left and entered the bedroom.

"Arizona?" Callie said softly, brushing back the hair from the blonde's face. Arizona opened her eyes, "Here, take these," she said as she handed her the pills and waited for her to prop herself up slightly, then handed her the water too. Arizona took them and laid back down. "Is there anything else I can do?"

"No thank you, I'm just going to try to sleep some more."

Callie stood up. "Okay. I'm making some dinner soon. I'll save you some."

"Thank you Callie," she said and she rolled onto her side closing her eyes again.

Callie waited a few moments until she saw the steady rise and fall of Arizona's chest and she knew she was asleep again, then went back into the living room where Mark was.

"So, what's happening?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, what's happening with you, me, Blondie and the baby?"

Callie sighed, "I don't know exactly. Arizona knows about the baby, and about you. We talked...I told her that I wanted this baby, but I also wanted her. She understands, I think...I mean, she agreed to come back and stay here."

"So wait, this is going to be her baby too?"

"I want her back in my life Mark."

"But that isn't fair. It's my kid, Cal."

Callie nodded. "I know it is. But, you and me...we were never going to be a couple, Mark. We're going to be co-parenting at best, right?"

"We could be more, if you wanted us to be."

Callie shook her head. "I can't Mark...I'm sorry."

"But it's my kid, Callie." Mark repeated.

"And you're still going to be his or her Dad. That won't change."

"Does Blondie even want to be a Mom?"

"We only just started talking about it Mark."

"So, what if she bails again? I know you feel sorry for her because of the leg... I do too. But this is a child we're talking about. What happens when this kid gets attached to her and then she bails and we're left picking up the pieces?"

"I don't feel sorry for her Mark. I care about her."

"Of course you feel sorry for her, she just lost her leg."

Callie pinched the bridge of her nose, "Just stop, please Mark?"

"But I mean, her parents are dead, right? And she probably can't work anymore. She'll be really dependant on you. Can you handle that and a baby Cal?"

Callie stared at him. "Of course she'll be able to work, Mark. She's already working with a prosthetic. I can handle this...this baby...there's still almost eight months before it'll be born. We have time to figure this all out."

"Are you sure she'll be okay to work? She looks like she could kick the bucket any second."

"She's still recovering Mark!" Callie huffed. " Would you just leave, please Mark? Just go."

The hurt in his eyes couldn't be hidden, and he stood up with a sigh. "Just remember Cal, she left you." He turned and left the apartment, closing the door behind him.


	6. Author's Note

Just a quick note and a bit of a warning for future chapters.

I've been extremely busy and apologize for not posting sooner. I'm in the middle of editing a chapter and hope to get it up tonight, err, this morning.

I've read all the comments, and thank you for the praise/constructive criticism. This story was part of November's NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month)...it was written in the span of 30 days and was 50,000 words upon completion. It was *loosely* based on the fic "The Time Warp"...based on...not a re-write of it, not a different point of view...but based on the same premise. Treat it as it's own fic and leave it at that.

A note about the upcoming chapter(s). They contain the rather sensitive subject of sexual assault and I expect to lose some followers due to it.

I'll attempt to get the chapters up in a more timely manner from here on in...the key word being "attempt". ;)

Thank you,


	7. Chapter 6

Callie threw herself back onto the couch and closed her eyes. She understood Mark's point but couldn't help but feel irritated with him. A few minutes later she heard the sound of crutches and she opened her eyes, seeing Arizona coming out of the bedroom rather unsteadily on a pair of crutches.

"I heard you talking to Mark."

"I'm sorry...did we wake you?"

Arizona shook her head, "I don't sleep."

Callie shifted over so there was room for Arizona to sit, "nightmares or pain?"

"Both."

"How about if I came in and stayed with you? Would that help?"

"is what Mark said true?"

"About what?"

"About me being dependent. Is that how you feel?"

Callie shook her head, "You're recovering from surgery...from a horrible ordeal. It's just going to take time. You won't be like this for long."

"I'm okay."

"I am too. What I said is the truth; I can handle this. I'm okay too."

Arizona sighed, "I should probably just go..."

Callie looked at her and shook her head, "Please don't. Stay?"

There was a pause before the blonde spoke again, "I want to be a Mom. I do...but I don't think I'd be a good one."

"You'll be a great Mom, Arizona."

"I'm disabled, Callie."

"What difference does that make?"

Arizona balked, "a huge one."

"It doesn't, Arizona."

"I can't do anything Callie."

"Right now, you're right...you've barely had a chance to try. Give it some time. I think you'll be surprised at what you'll be able to do."

Arizona shrugged, "okay."

Callie stood up and stretched, "I'm going to make something for dinner...do you feel like anything?"

Arizona shrugged again, "just some water, please?"

Callie said nothing, but went into the kitchen and got a bottle of water and returned to the couch, handing it to the blonde. She watched as she struggled with the cap, not having the strength to open it. Callie took it from her, opened it and handed it back.

"We both need to eat. What can I make you?"

"Food doesn't sit well."

"How about some soup?"

Arizona shook her head, "maybe some plain broth? I can't stomach very much."

"Okay," Callie said, then tucked the blanket around Arizona and handed her the television remote. "Just try to rest, I'll make some broth," she started for the kitchen when she heard Arizona's quiet voice.

"Vultures tried to eat me."

Callie stopped in her tracks and sat back down. Arizona stretched out her good leg and tugged at her pant leg, showing Callie a few peck marks that had left scars.

"They ate the pilots and then started to eat my leg."

"That must have been horrifying Arizona. How did you get them to stop?"

She shook her head, "I couldn't. The best I could do was tuck myself into part of the wreckage and shelter my leg from them as much as possible. But the pain...sometimes it was so bad I couldn't even move."

Callie reached over and took Arizona's hand in her own and gave it a little squeeze. "I can't even begin to imagine what you went through."

Arizona was quiet for a moment, "I ate a beetle," she said plainly.

"You did what you had to do."

Arizona nodded and took a sip of her water then handed the bottle to Callie and laid back against the cushions.

"I'm going to make us some tea, and some broth for you," she said reluctantly, not wanting to leave the blonde. She squeezed her hand and stood up, "I won't be far." When she received no reply she quickly went to the kitchen, put together some tea, broth and crackers and returned to the couch. Setting up a tv tray she placed what she brought on it and coerced Arizona into a sitting position. Callie watched as Arizona dipped her spoon into the broth and shakily brought it to her mouth, spilling it down her front. "How about if I put it in a mug instead?"

Arizona shook her head, "I'm just going to go to sleep." She curled up into a small ball on the couch and pulled the blankets over top of her.

Callie sat at the end of the couch, close enough so Arizona didn't feel alone. "I'll be right here," she assured her as the blonde nodded off.

It wasn't even an hour later that Arizona woke up and bolted upright, her eyes wide and scared. Callie reached over and put a hand on her good leg, reminding her that she was there. Minutes later Arizona was asleep again, only to have the scene repeat again less than an hour later. It happened once more before Callie suggested going into bed. She watched as the blonde tried to reach for her crutches but gave up when she didn't even have the energy to do it. Callie quickly grabbed the wheelchair and helped Arizona into it, wondering how the smaller woman ever managed the few days living alone at the hotel.

Callie helped Arizona into bed, and then climbed in with her, moving close to the blonde. "Is this okay?" she asked as she lay next to her.

Arizona nodded, "C-can you hold me?" she asked softly.

Without a word, Callie pulled the blonde close to her, spooning her and putting an arm around her, "I'm not going anywhere," she whispered. It wasn't long before Arizona was asleep again, drifting in and out, but slept the rest of the night without the sudden jolts awake and without waking up screaming as she had been doing in the hotel.

Callie woke the next morning still curled up close to Arizona, feeling the heat emanating off the blonde. She pressed the back of her hand against Arizona's forehead and then sat up. "Arizona, wake up, you're really warm."

Arizona rolled over sleepily and mumbled, "there are bugs in my legs."

Callie frowned, "there aren't any bugs, it's okay. But you have a fever, I'm going to grab you some Advil." She got up and went into the kitchen, returning with a glass of cold water and the Advil. She helped her sit up and handed her the pills and the water, watching as she shakily held the cup.

"Thank you."

"Can I take a look at your leg?" When Arizona nodded she pulled the blanket back and gently felt her leg, finding it hot and red. "Did you fill the prescription for the antibiotics?"

Arizona nodded, "I've been taking them. That's part of the reason my stomach is kind of messed up."

"You're going to need something stronger," Callie stated. "How about we get dressed and we'll head over, okay?"

Arizona nodded again and swung her leg over the bed and sat on the edge. Callie helped her get dressed and into the wheelchair, and down into the car. They were at the hospital in no time and Callie led them into a room and called Miranda Bailey to start an IV.

"No sedatives please," Arizona stated when Callie hung up the phone.

Callie nodded, "just fluids and antibiotics."

"Thank you. Who else besides Bailey and Mark knows about me?"

"Just Owen. They're both keeping it quiet."

"Teddy?"

Callie shook her head.

"Would you mind finding her for me?"

Callie smiled, "of course not. I won't be long."

It wasn't long before Teddy knocked on the door and poked her head in, her face lighting up with a smile as she saw her friend. She rushed over to Arizona's side and hugged her tightly. She had been shocked when Callie approached her and told her of Arizona's return. She hadn't even thought to ask why Arizona was in the hospital and now looked at her friend questioningly.

"Callie said my leg is infected."

"Your leg? What happened?"

Arizona tugged at the blanket, exposing her bandage-clad residual limb.

Teddy stared in shock, "Arizona...what happened?" she asked softly, gently.

"Callie didn't tell you? Could you ask her? I don't want to talk about it...not right now."

Teddy nodded, "what can I do?"

Arizona shrugged, "nothing really. I just missed you. I needed to see you."

"I missed you too. It hasn't been the same around here. The guy who took over for you is...well, he lacks in the personality department, that's for sure."

Arizona tried to smile, "you'll have to get used to him. I doubt I'll be back."

Teddy shook her head, "you'll be back. Just give it some time."

"My leg is gone Teddy."

Teddy sighed, "I know. I'm sorry. I can't even imagine what you're going through."

Arizona shrugged, "it just sucks." There was a slight pause, "Callie wants to try again."

Teddy smiled, "that's great news Arizona."

"She's pregnant. With Mark's baby."

The room went silent and Teddy's face fell, "Oh my God...seriously?"

The smaller blonde nodded.

"And you're okay with that?"

Arizona shrugged, "I don't know Teddy."

Teddy squeezed her friend's hand, "where are you staying now? Do you need a place?"

"I'm staying with Callie."

"If you find it's not working or you need some space...my door is always open too , okay?"

Arizona smiled a little, "thank you Teddy."

Teddy sat on the edge of the bed and hugged Arizona, "I'm glad you're back."

Arizona sighed, "I am too. But I have to live without my leg now and I don't know if I can do it."

"You can. I know it seems outright impossible at the moment, but just give it some time."

"You're right."

Teddy smiled, "of course I am. When are you out of here?"

"A few hours I guess."

"Well, I'm done in," she looked at her watch, "four hours. How about if I come and drive you home?"

"Callie's here with me. She just wanted to give me some time with you." Arizona looked down at the blanket and plucked at a thread. "Should I be staying with her?"

"What do you want to do?"

"I want her. I mean, it's the whole reason I came home. But Mark Sloan's baby?..." she trailed off.

Teddy sighed, "I know. I suppose you just need to figure out if you're okay with raising Sloan's kid."

"Nothing that's happened is okay. I'm disabled now Teddy. Disabled. How is that okay?"

"I can't say I know how you feel because I don't. But I do know that things will get better...I know nothing can bring back your leg, but the way things are right now won't be how they stay. Just give it some time, okay?"

"I can't take much more."

"I know. Just...one day at a time, okay?"

Arizona nodded, "I'll try," she promised her friend.


End file.
